St. Pius X in White Bear Lake was to hold a prayer service Jan. 18 for Jerry and Barbara Heil, the Minnesota couple who were reported missing when a cruise ship capsized Jan. 13 off the coast of Italy.

Parish business administrator Lawrence Erickson said St. Pius X parishioners have been offering prayers for the couple during daily Mass and the rosary prior to Mass, along with time spent in perpetual adoration.

“I do not remember a day, and I’ve been here five years, that I haven’t seen one or the other of them here,” Erickson said of the Heils. They have been involved in the parish festival, Dorothy Day Center, social ministry and teaching faith formation, he added. “They lead from within. . . . They touch but don’t leave a fingerprint. They are that soft in their approach on how much they give.”

Aaron Heil — son of the Heils, a first-grade teacher in the St. Michael-Albertville School District and also a parishioner at St. Michael in St. Michael — told the Associated Press: “We are waiting patiently for the rescuers to safely try to find our parents. Our prayers and thoughts are with our parents; those others that are still missing and their families; and the brave rescuers.”

Communications manager named

Accurso

Jim Accurso of St. Paul has joined the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Communications Office as Media and External Relations Manager. In this newly created position, Accurso will assume many of the duties previously carried out

by the former communications director, Dennis McGrath. After 10 years in this post, McGrath will become a part-time consultant to the archdiocese; his successor has yet to be named.

Accurso brings 11 years of archdiocesan and Catholic parish communications experience to his new duties. He is a former assistant director of media relations for the Archdiocese of Chicago and served two Chicago-area Catholic parishes as marketing communi­cations director and public relations coordinator. Most recently, he worked as a media specialist for the 2010 Census in the Chicago Regional Census Center.

‘Good leadership’ equals good merger

Merging the parishes of Most Holy Trinity in St. Louis Park and Our Lady of Grace in Edina is coming about successfully thanks in large part to the “good leadership” of people of Most Holy Trinity who made the process work, according to Father Robert Schwartz.

The success was evident early this month when Archbishop John Nienstedt presided at the first two Masses of the newly merged parish, and Our Lady of Grace pastor Father Schwartz gave the credit to those who most deserve it.

“The trustees and parish council members from Most Holy Trinity have been absolutely wonderful,” he said. “Because they’ve worked with our leadership over the past year, I could identify them for the archbishop because I know them.

They’re people I’ve gotten to know and love, and has made all the difference.”

The chapel at Our Lady of Grace has been renamed the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, and the altar from Most Holy Trinity Church is being used.